


Wanna bet?

by chemily



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-07-08
Packaged: 2018-03-25 17:40:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3819196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chemily/pseuds/chemily
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rec from cherrychapstick: Dude, write one where carmilla and laura are best friends and neighbors since always, and they have a competition about who can get more girls <3 and obviously they fall in love :) <3</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bet

It was a Monday afternoon when Laura made it home from her first year of college. Her dad’s old pickup was packed from bumper to bumper with the contents of her dorm, suitcases full of clothes and assorted boxes of books and posters. She leaned against the flatbed as her dad insisted she take a break and let him do the heavy lifting. As a feminist, she was offended, as she could pull her weight even in tasks of manual labor, but as a tired college kid and a Daddy’s Girl, she took him up on the offer. She was waiting for him to clear out enough of the truck for her to grab her backpack, when she heard a car pull up next door.

“Hey freshmeat, ya miss me?”

“Carm!” Laura was off running, nearly tackling her old best friend and neighbor into the ground, as she enveloped her into a hug.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’ cupcake,” Carmilla retorted, pulling away after a few seconds. When Laura and her father moved out to the countryside, after the death of Laura’s mother, Carmilla was the first person she met. She was nearly 9 years old at the time, with Carmilla being a solid 9 and a half, yet a year above her in school. By the time middle school rolled around, they embarked on different paths, with Laura becoming a preppy girl who exclusively shopped at Abercrombie and Carmilla experimenting with all black makeup. They drifted for years, only exchanging the occasional head nod of acknowledgment, until Carmilla’s junior year of high school.

It was Saturday detention, of all places, that they reconnected. Carmilla had begun to frequent detention, her general dislike of authority leading her there. This time in particular, she chose to not listen when her trigonometry teacher told her, for the fourth time that class, to put her book away. Three subsequent afterschool detentions later, Carmilla was put into Saturday detention, though she took this information with a slight shrug of her shoulders and a disinterested face. Laura, however, was not one for the blatant disregard for authority, unless she felt her rights were being violated. Which occurred in her English class, where an old white man told her that she was being naïve in finding autobiographical and queer subtext in “My Antonia” to which she told him that he was being “bigoted, prejudiced and overall rude for shooting down the only accurate analysis of this novel, just because he couldn’t get his head out of his own ass long enough to perhaps see a queer romance in a historic novel.”

He said that the detention was for her yelling and cursing. She knew it was because of how she offended him with her blatant homosexual tendencies. Nevertheless, a cool October morning left only two girls into the detention room where a very bored and tired teacher left them alone, saying that they were fine girls, and if anything bad actually happened to the room, they’d have to pay damages but otherwise to not bother to find her until the three hours were over. Carmilla nodded knowingly; this is how all of her detentions went. Laura looked shocked at the turn of events.

“So she just leaves you in here by yourself? What if you try to leave? What if something bad happens? What if someone finds out? Someone could totally find out!”

“Yes, I won’t, it won’t and they won’t,” Carmilla said, opening a book she pulled out of her backpack.

“Why wouldn’t you though? It's not like you listen well to authority. Don’t you want to go home?”

“No.” And that was the first time it occurred to Laura that perhaps an afternoon away from home would be better than one there. Laura turned to Carmilla and pulled her book away from her face. She placed it onto the table then took Carmilla’s hand in hers. She asked about her home life and Carmilla turned away. Laura didn't give in so easily.

“My mom passed away when I was 7. My dad thought he would be fine so we tried to stay at our old home. But he was wrong, that’s why we moved out here.” Carmilla kept a straight face, not even sure of why Laura was saying this in the first place. “I know what it’s like to find comfort in anywhere but home.”

Carmilla shrugged and looked away. “Not the case but thank you for your sympathy.”

“We have three hours here,” Laura started. “If you needed someone to talk to, now’s a good a time as any.” Carmilla didn’t want to, but she also didn’t want Laura’s hazel eyes boring into the side of her head for another 2 hours and 48 minutes. So she gave in. Laura was her closest friend in elementary school, so what did it matter anyway? She thought of it like the Breakfast Club; nothing was going to change outside the room anyway. So she told her, about the abuse, the stress, the pain. How she wanted to get out but had nowhere to go. The lack of relatives, her friends just being the dumb outcasts. How she dreamed of going to college to find herself and never coming home. And like that, detention was over.

They stayed in touch throughout school, though Laura often busied herself too in depth with school to actually kick back with Carmilla. They spent the next two summers together before Carmilla went to college, and Laura waved her off when she left for her first semester. Carmilla stayed at school during winter break, but came home the next summer. Laura was the first person she came out to, and she did so that summer, atop Laura’s roof, which was accessible from her bedroom window. Carmilla had picked up smoking by this time and she told Laura about being gay in between cigarettes. Laura had known she was queer for years, not clearly defining herself or officially coming out but she was exclusively being attracted to women. She didn’t say anything to Carmilla’s admission; except that she was glad she had figured herself out. Carmilla was glad too.

After graduation, Laura decided to go to a bigger public university outside of town by an hour. When she told Carmilla, she was excited but feigned anger since her small private school was the sworn rival of Laura’s, not that she cared for sports in the slightest. They said that they would keep in touch, that they would text frequently and maybe even visit each other on the weekends. But days went by and classes picked up and Laura hadn’t heard much from Carmilla, except for the occasional snapchat or text. She didn’t know what she expected.

But now, in each other’s embrace, she knew how much she missed Carmilla for that year they were at different universities. “I missed you a lot,” Laura admitted. “It’s weird, not seeing you around at all. Though I should be used to it, you’ve been gone for a year before me. But I guess the new environment and not knowing anyone really and then not seeing you either, I just, I guess I missed home.”

“Way to make a girl feel special, creampuff.” Laura snorted and hugged her again.

“I know I ramble but I did miss you.” She pulled back and smiled at Carmilla. For what it was worth, Carmilla was attractive. Not in a “she wears makeup well” sort of way or a “Girl Next Door” way, but in a “her features are the things that Victorian art is made of” way. Time had lessened the amount of eyeliner Carmilla wore, as it steadily decreased from middle school to the present. She didn’t have hot pink hair or an undercut anymore, much to her mother’s joy and Carmilla’s dismay, and she was beginning to look more like a young professional; a young professional who wore black skinny jeans to work, however still a young adult. She always knew her friend was attractive but she never thought much about it until now. “You look good.”

“As do you.” Carmilla smiled. She claimed to not smile often, her exception being when it was directed at Laura. Laura could never be certain if she should believe her, however, and tried to make the assumption that it was just her flirtatious manner. “I’m guessing all of the college girls eat that shit up, or should I say eat you up.”

Laura blushed, hard. “Uh well, you know me.”

“So no action, huh?” Carmilla smirked, knowingly.

“Oh, I get action. I get plenty of action. All of the action actually. My roommate hated how I brought home girls all the time. To, uh, ya know, have the sex.” Laura looked down, her blush spreading to her neck. Her eyes blew wide, thinking how unnatural that all sounded. Maybe Carmilla would just let it slide.

“Yeah, because people who call it ‘the sex’ are obviously getting laid.” So she did notice and make a comment. Great.

“Oh yeah? And I bet girls are just _all over_ you.” Carmilla smirked and chuckled, in a way that meant _well, obviously._ “I could get girls.” Carmilla laughed again. “What? I _could_ get girls. A lot of girls.” Carmilla stopped chuckling to let out a roaring laugh. “I could get more girls than you.”

“As much as I know that you _need_ to get laid, you could _not_ get more girls than me.”

“You wanna bet?” Laura didn’t like the ridicule and she knew Carmilla was always down for a competition. "Give me two weeks, and I'll get twice the girls you do."

“What are the stakes?” Carmilla asked, intrigued. Laura thought to herself for a second before smiling.

“I win, you have to go to the high school, dressed in that pink dress of mine, that you _loathe..._ ” Carmilla shuddered at the thought. “and tell all of your teachers that you are sorry for treating them so badly and say that you wished you had listened to them.” Carmilla thought about it, after shuddering a few more times.

“As terrible as those terms are, I know I’ll win, so it won’t be an issue.”

“Stop being so cocky.”

“Okay fine, but when I win…”

“If,” Laura corrected.

“If I win, you have to get that stupid stuffed cat you sleep with…”

“She has a name.”

“You have to get Mittens McFluff," Carmilla corrected herself, her voice drenched in sarcasm. "Then, take a selfie with her and post on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr that the reason you never sleep with girls is because you always sleep with her.”

“That’s cruel.”

“You scared?”

“Never.”

And so began the Great Date Bet of 2015, or so Laura called it. She was nervous, sure, but she wasn’t discouraged. She just didn’t know where to meet girls. So she called LaFontaine, who quickly gave her the rundown of all of the local queer bars in the area. They found that most were in the main town, about 20 minutes away. They offered to go with her, and bring Perry along as their designated driver and how could Laura resist? It seemed like a good plan and it was set for Friday. Laura didn’t ask Carmilla how exactly she planned to go about getting girls, but it didn’t matter. She had plans in four days. It’s not like Carmilla could possibly get such a great head start if Laura just caught up on Orphan Black for a few nights. Or so she thought, when her phone buzzed.

 **Carm (7:01 PM):** Elsie. 5’7”, blonde hair, blue eyes (I think). Do I need to send you her number too or will you take my word for it?

 **Cupcake (7:03 PM):** How did you get a girl’s number on a Monday night?

 **Carm (7:07 PM):** I have to keep some of my secrets, don’t I? Or I’d lose my air of mystery ;)

Laura threw her phone at a wall after that. There was no use in keeping it around. Friday, Friday would be the day that Laura got her back.

 **Carm (10:54 PM):** Her mane is L? I thinl?! She lokks Luke yuo lil

An excruciatingly blurry photo was attached to this message, as if it was some proof of her escapade.

 **Cupcake (10:55 PM):** Are you drunk? On a Tuesday???

 **Carm (11:03 PM):** R yuo not drink on a tirsdsy?? 2 4 2sday!!

 **Cupcake (11:03 PM):** Drink water. I’m going to bed.

She rolled her eyes. It wasn't an impossible feat to conquer, but in two days, Carmilla had hooked up with two different girls. Meanwhile, Laura had put herself further into last place by finishing two seasons of The 100 in two days. Laura was strangely upset though, and she couldn’t quite tell why. _Probably because I’m losing,_ she thought to herself.

She didn’t hear from Carmilla the next day, except for her response to a morning text to make sure that she didn’t die at a bar the night before. She didn’t and resented the fact that Laura felt the need to check. She didn’t talk to her again about that, or anything, until Thursday night.

 **Carm (11:58 PM):** Cab yuo pucj me ip? Pkeasr. please

 **Cupcake (11:58 PM):** Where are you

 **Carm (12:03 AM):** Silas, 307 Main St. that wss sooppo hard. im drunk

 **Cupcake (12:04 AM):** I’ll be right there.

And she was, because Laura always was. She was in her tardis t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants from her university. Her hair was up and her face was washed but she wasn’t asleep yet, so she was able to see those texts. She pulled up to the bar on Main to find Carmilla standing outside with her leather jacket in her arms and her eyeliner smudged down her cheeks and her lipstick smeared off her lips. She smiled and bounded into the car.

“What the hell happened to you?”

“Is that how you greet a lady?” Carmilla slurred as she slumped into the seat. Laura buckled her in, afraid that she wouldn’t be able to do it herself.

“Your makeup is a mess, your hair is matted with something that I don’t even want to examine and you smell like you bathed in the liquor trough. When you beg me to pick you up at midnight looking like that, yeah that’s how I’m going to greet you.”

Carmilla frowned and looked away. “I’m sorry.”

“Damn right you’re sorry.” Laura was still fuming when she looked over at her passenger. They hadn’t left the curb in front of the bar and looking at the girl in the seat next to her made her put the car in park. She was a mess; Laura wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest. But she was so sad. Her eyes were puffy from crying and tears were welling up in them again. She had a bruise on her right forearm that Laura had missed before. She had the remnants of blood around her lower lip and it looked like it had also been bruised. “Oh no no no, please don’t cry. I’m so sorry. Let’s get you home, okay?”

“I don’t want to go home.” She looked into Laura’s eyes with such love and fear that Laura had to close hers to stop her own tears from flowing.

“My home,” Laura corrected. Carmilla nodded solemnly. “We’ll get you all cleaned up, we’ll get you a snack and then you can take a rest in my bed, okay?”

Carmilla grinned like a child. Her face was still far from perfect but it had life back in it. Laura didn’t ask any more questions as she headed back to her home. Carmilla took a shower first and borrowed a pair of boxers and a shirt from Laura’s drawer. She looked cutely dorky, Laura noted to herself, seeing her dressed in something other than black for once. She ate a PB&J before Laura forced her to down two glasses of water. She brushed her teeth and then sat on the edge of Laura’s bed waiting.

“Carm, what’s going on? Do you need to talk?”

Carmilla shook her head silently. “Will you lay with me?” She looked like a kicked puppy, nervous for asking such a question. With the makeup and dirt off her face, Laura could see clearly a cut on her lower lip and a small bruise purpling on her cheek. She knew she was looking at it for too long when Carmilla broke eye contact, embarrassed. Laura then nodded and climbed into bed, Carmilla following. They laid face to face, their legs touching under the covers. Laura moved Carmilla’s hair out of her eyes and held her in a gentle embrace. Laura closed her eyes, tired from the night’s activities.

“I don’t just drink to get with someone,” Carmilla said, barely above a whisper. “Sometimes, I drink to get away from myself.”

Laura’s eyes snapped open and she parted her lips slightly to say something but before she could, Carmilla's head was on Laura’s chest and her breathing evened out. Laura let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “I’m so sorry, Carm,” she sighed into the silence.

When she woke up, Carmilla was already gone, her pajamas in a folded pile on Laura’s chair.

It was now Friday, the day Laura had been waiting for. She threw on a pair of shorts and her converse, a cute shirt accompanying the outfit. She wasn’t one for elaborate makeup, but she had put on eye makeup and blush, all in natural tones. Perry picked her up at 9 PM sharp, LaF waiting in the passenger seat. Laura made herself comfortable in the middle of the back row, so as to not exclude herself from conversations. They arrived at the bar at 9:30, after parking the car and regrouping in the lot.

“You ready?” LaF grinned at Laura.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied as they walked to the bar with the biggest neon sign in the neighborhood. It was early, so the bar only had a few people around. However, there was a semi-famous DJ coming through that evening so it would fill up soon, or so Perry promised. She was always on top of her information. Laura had missed them when she’d gone away to school, both of them going to another university out of the country.

Laura ordered the sweetest drink off the menu while LaF stuck to a rum and coke and Perry to a glass of unsweetened iced tea. They sat at a small round table a little ways away from the bar so they could hear each other better, as they indulged in light conversation.

“What made you want to go out anyway, Hollis?” LaF was never one for subtlety.

“Uh, you know, I haven’t really been with anyone and I kind of wanted to get out more.” LaF raised their eyebrows disapprovingly. They knew a lie when they heard one. “Also, Carmilla and I have this bet going, about who could get more girls and…”

“Say no more,” LaF cut off. “I am on the case.”

Perry rolled her eyes as LaF started to scan the room for potential “Targets,” a word both Perry and Laura vetoed the second it left their mouth. Nevertheless, LaF spotted a decently cute brunette sitting at the bar for Laura.

“She’s okay,” Laura complained.

“Okay? First of all, she’s pretty damn fine, especially considering the current turnout. Second, she's alone making her very easy to talk to which will be good because, third, you should warm up a little. You’ve never even picked up a girl at a bar before!” which was true. “And last, this is a competition. They don’t have to all be perfect 10s for you to win!” They made a good point. So Laura got up and walked over, bringing with her an empty glass to exchange for a new drink. She looked at Mystery Bar Girl and the girl smiled back. Laura gestured to the barkeep.

“I’ll have another daiquiri and one of whatever she wants.” Laura paused. “I mean, for her. I’m not ordering two drinks for me.” _Shit._

The girl laughed. _Okay, maybe not shit,_ Laura thought to herself. The bartender started making the drinks as Laura sat down next to the girl. “First time buying a girl a drink?”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Maybe a little, but you’re cute, so I’ll let it slide,” the girl said with a wink. They talked for a little while finishing their drinks. Her name was Anna and she was just in town for the summer, working for a local company. She studied some kind of science at university and played lacrosse in her free time. She liked the same music as Laura, but their similarities ended about there. They laughed together and it wasn’t as uncomfortable as Laura thought it’d be. She ended up having to leave, her friends were headed to another bar but she left Laura her number and a quick kiss with the words “next time” hovering between their lips. Laura smirked and came back to the table with her friends.

 **Cupcake (10:12 PM):** Anna. Taller than me, brown hair, athletic.

 **Carm (10:21 PM):** That’s not saying much, taller than you.

 **Cupcake (10:23 PM):** Rude. But I’m catching up!

 **Carm (10:25 PM):** Forgot to update you since Tuesday: Ellen, Dana, Sarah, Natalie and Kate. I’ll show you their numbers next time we hang out ;)

 **Cupcake (10:25 PM):** Duck yuo

 **Cupcake (10:27 PM):** *Fuck. You.

Laura didn’t get it. It was Friday. Their bet began on Monday. How did she get seven girls in five days? It was insane. Did the girl never tire? She silenced her phone and walked back to the bar. There was a very tall girl standing there and Laura decided it was now or never to start going all in.

“Can I get a tequila shot?” Laura asked the bartender. She then nodded at the girl. “You want one too?”

“Uh, yeah sure, thanks,” she said, sitting down on a stool. “Having a rough night?”

“Nope. Tequila’s for having a good time.”

“And why are you in such a good mood?”

Laura smirked as she picked up the tequila shot in one hand, lime in the other. “Because I just talked to the hottest girl in this whole place.” And she downed the shot and bit the lime, tall girl following suit.

They did three more shots each before Laura got bold. “You know, we’ve been forgetting salt this whole time.”

“Really? Damn, how do we incorporate it?” Laura ran her finger along the edge of a glass to gather condensation and painted it down the girl’s neck, after moving her hair out of the way. She felt the girl shudder under her finger tip. She then applied the salt, which stuck gently. Laura then grabbed her shot, before licking the salt and taking the shot. The girl held the lime in between her teeth, so naturally Laura kissed her to bite down on it. The girl was blushing hard, so Laura grabbed the lime out of her mouth and kissed her for real.

“Do you want to get out of here?” she whispered. Laura nodded.

The girl lived across the street in a studio apartment. They were barely through the door when they started kissing. Laura was angry and the girl was drunk and so they were aggressive and heated as they hit the bed.  Laura then felt the girl shift on top of her. She was moving quickly as her breath got ragged and she continued to kiss Laura, despite pulling off her shirt and undoing her bra. Laura felt trapped but didn’t care. This is what she wanted, to just have sex. Get it all out, right? That’s what Carmilla said she needed. _Fuck, why am I thinking about her? Why now? Goddammit._ Laura grabbed the girl and pulled her in by her red hair and didn’t let go, thrusting their bodies together. But that’s when she felt it. The button on her shorts popped open and she gasped. The girl started laying kisses down her breasts and her stomach and she was pulling down Laura’s underwear. She panicked. She shot up and pushed the girl away and got all flustered. Everything felt wrong and she was scared. This wasn't what was supposed to happen.

“I uh I have to um go like now, I’m sorry, my friends are leaving.” The girl looked sad and guilty, looking at Laura, mostly naked on her bed. “They’re calling, I have to, I’m sorry.”

“You’re phones not on you.”

“Well, they should be calling. What kind of friends don’t call when you disappear for a half hour, am I right?” The girl blocked the way to the door as Laura tried to move towards it. She didn’t budge.

“Tell me what’s really going on here.”

“I don’t want to have sex with you, okay?”

“Okay, wow, that hurt.” The girl seemed genuinely upset, which wasn't Laura's plan but she dug this hole and now her drunk ass was stuck in it.

“Not just you, anyone. I’ve never had sex before and I’m scared, alright? And I don’t want my first time to be with some dumb girl from a bar when we’re both drunk and not thinking straight.”

“Just because you’re not thinking straight doesn’t mean I’m not. You’re being a tease right now, you know that? And now you’re calling me dumb and acting like you’re just doing this because you’re drunk? That’s so mean."

"I didn't mean for this to happen."

"Just leave, I don’t care.”

"I'm so sorry."

"Get. Out." The girl was yelling now, through gritted teeth. Laura listened. She ran across the street to her friends who were thankfully still at the bar. She felt tears pricking the back of her eyes and she felt her throat getting tight but she didn’t care. She just asked for a ride and then shut up.

The car ride was silent. They didn’t ask and Laura didn’t tell. She was dropped off with a thank you before going up to her room. But she wasn’t tired. So she went through her bedroom window and sat on her roof. She checked her phone for the first time in hours and saw a text from the girl. She also apologized for her actions in a text too long for Laura to read with her head pounding like it was.

There was another text from Carmilla, and another and another.

 **Carm (10:30 PM):** Hey now, it’s all in good fun. You’re doing great too!

 **Carm (10:43 PM):** It’s just a joke, we’re having some fun, it’s just a bet. Don’t be like that!

 **Carm (10:51 PM):** I’m sorry if you’re mad, I didn’t mean to do that. I was just teasing. Please talk to me.

 **Carm (11:12 PM):** Please cupcake, talk to me. I want to know you’re okay. We can talk about this

 **Cupcake (1:17 AM):** I’m home, I’m fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Laura put her phone away and turned it back on silent. She just wanted to sober up and stop feeling so bad about all of this. Why did she even care if Carmilla got with seven girls? Who cares if she gets with a girl every hour on the hour? It’s not Laura’s place to judge her. She didn’t even judge her. She just felt something else. But what was it? Jealousy?

“Can I come up?”

Laura closed her eyes for a second before nodding her consent. “Yeah, sure.”

Carmilla used the vines on the side of the house to climb up, as she’s done before. On the night of Laura’s senior prom, for instance, when Laura’s sobs could be heard from Carmilla’s bedroom. She had been wrong about the whole night, thinking that her prom date wanted to go out with her while the girl said she thought they’d been going as friends, her boyfriend not being able to attend the evening. At that time, Carmilla had just gotten back from her first year of college and though she wanted nothing more than to sleep, she had stayed up until sunrise on Laura’s roof, holding her while her beautiful face and beautiful dress got stained with mascara and tears.

Tonight was different. Laura wasn’t sad but distant, quiet. Her tears were contained, if she even had them anymore, she was unsure. She still had on her jean shorts and a sleeveless button down shirt. She held her knees up to her chest and sighed as Carmilla sat down next to her, in her black shorts and black tank, stretching her pale legs out before her and resting backwards on her arms.

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“But I could try to.”

Laura didn’t respond. She looked out across the street, tracing the streetlamps with her eyes. She knew all the streets by name and could map them out with her gaze if she so desired. It was calming to trace the patterns with her eye movements.

“Come on, you know I hate this talking about feelings shit,” Carmilla teased. Laura let out a breath through her nose to indicate a small laugh. “And I’d much rather sit in silence and watch the stars. But that isn’t you.”

Laura sighed. “She wanted to have sex. I’ve never had sex before. I didn’t want to.” Laura let out a breath she’d been holding in and inhaled before continuing. “And I know that the concept of virginity is stupid and that sex should be fun and that it’s all dumb but I don’t want to remember that my first time was with some dumb chick from the bar.” Carmilla nodded. “I told her that and she got offended and started yelling and that’s how I ended up here.”

Carmilla didn’t say anything. Laura didn’t know what she wanted her to say or if she wanted her to say nothing at all. She wasn’t sure if she wanted Carmilla to tell her to cut it out and just have sex and enjoy herself or if she wanted her support on this choice. She wasn't even sure if she wanted Carmilla to call off the whole dumb bet because at this rate, Laura was never going to hook up with a girl or if she just wanted to go back to sleep and pretend the whole night never happened. She also wasn’t sure if she wanted to be held in Carmilla’s arms as she had been so many times before or if she wanted her to just stay away. She wasn’t sure if Carmilla was planning to do any of those things, or anything at all. Carmilla lit a cigarette and blew the smoke out between her red stained lips, playing with the cigarette in between her fingers.

“I’ve never had sex, either,” she said, between puffs. Laura looked at her, disbelievingly.

“So you’re just all talk? About how _I_ needed to get laid and how easy it is to pick up girls and how everyone wants you so bad?” Laura was upset and she still wasn’t sure why.

“I’m not all talk, you do need to get laid, I do pick up girls all the time and everyone does want me. I said pick up, not hook up.”

“You’re ridiculous!”

“There are worse things to be.”

Carmilla sighed and took another drag on her cigarette. She let the silence fall between them like a load of bricks and pretended it wasn’t there. Carmilla had gotten good at pretending that things weren’t there, like the tension in her house or the flirting between her and Laura that had preceded either of them coming out.

“Why have you never had sex?” Of course, it would be Laura’s voice to break the tension.

“Because maybe I’m terribly self-conscious and I don’t want anyone to see me naked.”

“You know you’re hot, right?”

“Geez cupcake, flattery will get you nowhere.”

“That’s not...I’m not trying to…It’s not…”

“Relax, kid, it’s a joke.” Carmilla toyed with the cigarette between her fingers, as it began to burn closer and closer to the filter. “I don’t open up well, as you know, and being naked is pretty open. I don’t want to open up for someone who will take advantage of me and leave, okay?”

“Right.” Laura didn’t know what to say. They don’t prepare you for this in high school, what to say to your friend when she opens up to you at 1 AM, telling you about how her fucked up family life had prevented her from having adult sexual relationships, while you’re tipsy and watching her put that cigarette into her mouth has you feeling some kind of way. And on that note, she puts out the last of the cigarette and pulls another out of its pack. “You shouldn’t smoke. It makes it harder to get girls.”

That made Carmilla snort and smirk. “Yeah, cutie? I still get girls. And I don’t smoke before I make out with someone; that would be rude.” Laura rolled her eyes. “And who exactly am I trying to impress here? Do you see any girls?”

“I’m here.” Carmilla didn’t light her cigarette. She rolled it around her fingers and hands, playing with it gently. She held it in silence for a moment, and Laura noticed the movements; she was staring. Carmilla looked off into the distance and sighed before putting it back into the pack. She avoided Laura’s eyes, though she knew that they were still looking straight at her.

“Laura…what are you saying?”

Laura could feel herself becoming sober, but she could also feel residual tequila in her throat, as any cliché college kid claim feeling after their night out. She would blame it on the alcohol, the warm summer breeze, the rom-com setup they’ve gotten themselves into, but she knew it had been a long time coming when she opened her mouth again.

“I’ve always been here, Carmilla.” She turned to face Laura. Laura looked at her, softly. She knew how tense Carmilla had become at those words and so she moved her arm from around her legs to place it on Carmilla’s hand. “Please, don’t run,” Laura said, as if reading Carmilla’s mind. Carmilla nodded but looked away again. “Please, don’t look away, Carmilla, this isn’t supposed to be how it goes, I just want to…” Carmilla looked back at her and her words caught in her throat. “Kiss you,” she whispered.

And that was all she had to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of went somewhere else with the prompt and hopefully I didn't disappoint :)
> 
> I didn't have a beta so tell me if there are any terrible mistakes.
> 
> And, as always, let me know what you think!


	2. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after they kiss.

The red light of her alarm clock blared into the darkened room. “6:12” it read, the dots between the 6 and the 1 flashing repeatedly. She rolled over and tried to will herself back to sleep. It was still early, and the hangover building in her temple wasn’t doing her any favors. The tears on the pillow were still fresh, but turning cold to the touch, as her cheek came into contact with them. The feeling almost inspired new ones to be formed.

She tasted like cigarettes and under any other circumstance, that would have been gross, Laura thought when their lips collided. But it was Carmilla and forgive her for thinking it tasted kind of sweet in that moment. Or perhaps it was the retrospective juxtaposition of the bitter words that followed, rendering the kiss so sweet.

_“I’m sorry, Laura,” Carmilla said, violently shaking her head as if it was a magic eight ball giving her the wrong answer. “I have to go.”_

_“Please, Carm, please stay,” Laura pleaded, clutching Carmilla’s hands like a lifeline. “Don’t leave. I need you.”_

_Carmilla shook her head. “You’re drunk,” she stated, sadly. “And I...I can’t do this. Not like this. Not tonight, not...ever.”_

At that moment, Laura closed her eyes and heard a thump as Carmilla left the roof. If she hadn’t known better, she would have assumed that Carmilla had jumped off, but she wouldn’t have handled the fall without a broken leg or worse. But it was so fast and in a way, it seemed like she evaporated into a puff of black smoke.

She had gone to bed immediately following, though broken cries kept her awake well into the night.

Laura rolled over, away from the alarm clock, her cell phone, the tears, the reminder that she had, in effect, ruined everything. How did she do that so efficiently, in such a quick fluid motion? Like a bandaid, she had ripped it off. But oh god, did it still hurt.

She woke up a second time at 9:48, her nose still stuffy and her eyes red. She decided that it wasn’t worth trying to go back to sleep at that point. So she stood up from bed and walked to the bathroom. She took a long hot shower, her iPod playing softly from its dock as condensation covered the walls and surfaces of the bathroom. She left the shower after nearly 45 minutes, and still felt filthy. She dressed in sweats and a tshirt, and meandered downstairs.

Her father left a note about being at work and said he’d be back before dinner. Laura knew cops had to work on Saturdays too, but she had really wished that she wouldn’t have to be alone. She made herself toast and realized she had left her phone upstairs. A part of her didn’t want to face the reality it brought but another part of her knew she shouldn’t be home alone without her phone in tow. So she retrieved it before the toast was finished and unsurprisingly, there weren’t any new texts (though she wished there had been).

She ate her buttered toast on the couch, with Law & Order reruns dancing across her television screen. She thought critically, or at least as critically as her brain would allow, considering the state she put it in, about the previous night. What was she supposed to do about the kiss? Why did Carmilla leave? Did she read every signal wrong? Was she really _that_ drunk? She was usually so rational about crushes, but it was Carmilla this time, and she hadn’t the slightest clue how to proceed.

 **Cupcake (10:54 AM):** Hey...I’m sorry I screwed up so hard. Can we talk?

She truly wanted, needed even, an answer from Carmilla soon. But she knew she wouldn’t get one. So she poured herself a big glass of water and settled in to the couch and its stack of decorative pillows. It was going to be a long day.

 **L. Hollis (11:02 AM):** Hey, I’m sorry about last night. Stuff got messy with that girl and I just wanted to go home really badly. I’m sorry if I worried you but I’m okay today (minus the raging headache). So, thank you.

 **LaFonBrain (11:07 AM):** Don’t sweat it! And rest up, kid! If you plan on winning this bet, we gotta get you back out there B)

 **L. Hollis (11:08 AM):** I don’t think that’ll be an issue anymore, tbh.

 **LaFonBrain (11:08 AM):** What, you and the mistress of snark call it off? What’d you do, get seduced by her?

 **L. Hollis (11:10 AM):**...not exactly

**Incoming Call: LaFonBrain**

“What does ‘not exactly’ mean?” Laf was intense but not harsh and Laura respected that about them.

“Ugh don’t yell. Hangover, remember?” Laura muttered back, massaging her forehead.

“Ooookay but spill,” Lafontaine whispered.

“I got back and was sitting on the roof. Carmilla came over. We had a deep talk. I kissed her, she kissed me but then she ran off.”

“YOU AND KARNSTEIN KISSED??!! PERRY OWES ME TEN BUCKS!!”

“VOLUME!” Laura shouted back. “Yeah, we did but then she left without a word, are you not getting the important part, Captain Oblivious?”

“Right” was whispered. “But come on, this was bound to happen for _years,_ what could possibly be wrong?”

“Maybe that she doesn’t actually like me back?”

“That’s bullshit and we both know it.”

“But then why did she leave?”

“I don’t know, have you tried talking to her?” Laura pulled her phone away from her ear to see if she had any new incoming texts. She didn’t.

“I texted her, but she didn’t respond,” Laura muttered.

“She’s your next door neighbor. It doesn’t take a genius to find her.”

“I don’t want to bother her if she’s purposefully ignoring me.”

“I’m not going to tell you had to live your life,” Laf responded. (Which was admittedly a lie. It’s all they ever did, to be perfectly honest). “But...” There’s the ‘but.’ “You should go find her. Figure out what’s up. If you don’t, she might never come to you.” They had a point. They always did, though it was never a good plan to tell them as such.

“I guess. Thanks,” Laura muttered.

“I know, I’m right.” There was that ego. “Call me if you need to talk, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Talk to you later.”

They hung up and Laura sighed. It would be easy, to pretend that they were kids again and for her to bang on the front door of the house and see if Carmilla was around to play. But things had gotten too complicated in that one moment on her rooftop. She checked her text messages once again, and there was still no response. She sighed and put on a pair of shoes. She might as well check next door, see if Carmilla is up to talking. It couldn’t exactly make matters _worse_.

Carmilla’s mother answered the door, opening it the bare minimum to allow for conversation.

“Carmilla is not home,” she stated in a curt and official voice. “She was not here when I woke up either.”

Laura said thanks as the door basically shut in her face. She knew the habits of that household, Ms. Morgan awaking at nearly 5 AM daily. That was when Laura began to panic. She must have never gone home last night, since there was little to no chance she was home for the time between leaving Laura’s at 2 AM and not being there when her mother awoke. Laura grabbed her phone out of her back pocket as she walked back to her house.

“Please pick up, please pick up, please pick up,” she muttered as she dialed Carmilla’s number. It went directly to voicemail without ringing. It was turned off or dead. She grabbed her bike and bike helmet (safety first!) before heading out on her mission. It wasn’t like Ms. Morgan to entertain herself with theories and worries about her daughter. There was strict “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, and even stricter “I will not come looking for you if you decide that dying on the streets is your way to go” mantra. But that was not the case with Laura.

She rode into town first, checking out Carmilla’s favorite spots. The book store that looked like a warm hug felt. Laura walked in there first, the chimes ringing as the door swung open. The shop owner hadn’t seen Carmilla in the hour since he opened. Laura nodded and made it to the coffee shop. It was a 24-hour place and Laura knew Carmilla loved it there. It smelled of worn-out books, burnt coffee and vanilla; Laura knew why Carmilla liked it so much. There was no sign of her in any of the booths so Laura left, slowly beginning to lose hope.

Carmilla didn’t frequent many places, the last being a local bar that definitely was not open during the hours in question. Laura drove by anyway, looking for any trace of her. There wasn’t. She hung her head and pulled out her phone. There was a text from one of the girls last night, blabbering about something that Laura didn’t bother to read, and another text from her dad, asking what she wanted for dinner. It was hard texting him back, because right now, she didn’t want to go on with life as usual. There was a 20 year old girl missing and no one seemed to care.

She rode her bike to the park halfway between her house and the town. Part of her wanted to believe that she would find Carmilla there, but another part knew she just needed somewhere to clear her head. She sat adjacent to the lake, letting her bike fall to her feet, it looking as defeated as she felt. She took a deep breath and looked down, watching the wind force the grass to dance. She grabbed a flat rock from by her foot and tried to skip it into the lake. It skipped twice before sinking without a trace. She put her head back down. She was never very good at that. Carmilla tried to teach her when they were kids but she didn’t have the wrist flick down.

When she looked back up, she saw her across the lake.

She rode her bike at record speed, not even bothering to put on her helmet, to the bench where she saw a girl dressed in all black, holding her knees to her chest.

“Carmilla?”

She made eye contact with Laura and chuckled. “Great, just great, Lois Lane found me,” she drawled sarcastically.

“Of course I found you!” she said, disregarding the lack of contentment in the other girl’s words. “Carmilla, you can’t run away from me like that. I was worried sick!”

“And I’m supposed to give a shit about that?”

Her words hurt. Laura was taken aback. Carmilla looked exhausted, her curls going flat over the night and her makeup being mostly wiped off. She had bags under her eyes and her shoulders sagged down like a weight pulling on a bough that was about to break. But even then, she still looked beautiful.

“Well yeah, friends are typically supposed to care about one another and they aren’t supposed to run away without a word to their other friends about where they’re going.”

“Friends are also not supposed to kiss their friends on the roof when they’re drunk, giving them all kinds of feelings and worries that they can’t possibly deal with.”

“Carmilla...”

“I don’t want to hear it. You pity me, Laura, and I am so sick of the way you look at me like I’m a kicked puppy. I’m an adult. I don’t need to hear it from you too.”

“Carmilla, wait please,” Laura pleaded, as Carmilla turned, looking like she was going to walk away. “I don’t pity you.” Carmilla snorted and rolled her eyes. “I don’t. I actually really care about you and I just want you to be safe. You mean so much to me.”

“Then why’d you kiss me?” Laura scrunched up her brow at that one. Wasn’t it obvious? All these years spent flirting and holding her and loving her, as a friend, and Carmilla didn’t notice?

“Because I like you. Like, like-like you.”

“Then why have you always refused my advances?”

“Why did I what? When have I ever done that?”

“After our Saturday detention, I asked you out for coffee and you brought all of your stupid friends!”

“They’re not stupid...”

“Or when we worked on that school spirit thing together and instead of painting the banner, I got paint all over your face.” Laura smiled at the memory. “And we wrestled to the floor and I called you beautiful. Do you remember what you said to me?”

Laura did. “That you were a great friend.”

Carmilla nodded. “How about your prom night, when you cried and I held you and told you that you looked flawless and that anyone dumb enough to turn you down didn’t deserve you. And I let your tears run down my shirt and I kissed your forehead and looked into your eyes like they were the sun and the stars, because to me, they are, and I held your hands so gently but I could feel the electricity and I knew that I loved you. But you said any girl would be lucky to have me, that you were so happy to be my friend. How was I supposed to make it any clearer?” Carmilla looked away and it looked like she was holding back tears. “What was I supposed to do, when you didn’t love me back?”

Laura brought her gaze to Carmilla’s face and waited for her to look back to her. She looked like porcelain, with a small crack through its core, about to break on contact. Laura wanted to hold her face and apologize until her throat ran dry.

“And then you were drunk and you kissed me. You kissed me, Laura. What did you want from me? Or were you just that drunk,” she said, her voice quivering. When she turned her head around, her eyes were glazed over and she looked so scared. Laura bit her tongue and tried not to cry at the sight.

“I wanted you to love me back.”

“What?”

“You’re my best friend, Carm. I didn’t want to mess it up with my feelings. But I’ve had them this whole time. Before we went to school, before my prom night, before you even came out. You have always meant the world to me.” Carmilla shook her head in disbelief. “I might have been drinking last night, but I have always wanted to do that.”

And just like that, she tasted Carmilla’s lips on her own. They felt so soft and loving that when Carmilla pulled her in with a tug of urgency, she couldn’t believe it. It was hot and cold and confusing and perfect. Carmilla’s cheeks were under Laura’s palms and she felt some tears streak down onto her thumbs as she stroked her cheekbones. She pulled away and took a breath. Kissing Carmilla felt like coming up for air after swimming, like a breeze rippling your clothes on a hot summer day. It felt like peace.

“Come on, let’s go to my place and have a nap,” Laura said, still stroking Carmilla’s face. “I bet you’re exhausted.” Carmilla nodded, blinking away tears. Laura kissed the streaks on both of her cheeks. They tasted like salt, and to Laura, it was just fine. Carmilla stood on the back pegs of Laura’s bike as she rode, holding Laura around the waist for security. Laura couldn’t help but think it felt like happiness.

Carmilla plopped into Laura’s bed the second they entered her house.

“Who said you could use my bed?” Carmilla looked up worried, her mouth opening to backtrack. “Kidding! I’m kidding. Just, leave some room for me.” Carmilla smiled and laid on her back, giving room for Laura to curl up onto her chest. Laura fell asleep to the time of Carmilla’s heartbeat, pulsing a lullaby through her thoughts.

Laura woke up around 2 PM, still holding Carmilla close to her. She looked at her, her sleeping form peaceful and gentle beneath her. Laura blinked a few times in her groggy state, her eyelashes brushing against Carmilla’s cheeks like butterfly’s wings, causing Carmilla to stir.

“That tickles, cupcake,” Carmilla mumbled in a lower voice than usual.

“I’m sorry,” she responded, lowering her head so that her crown rested under Carmilla’s chin.

“Don’t worry about it,” she muttered, touching Laura’s chin to pull Laura’s lips up to her own. “I like having you this close.”

They kissed again, this time with more fervor. Laura draped her right leg over Carmilla’s legs, and slowly started to straddle her. Carmilla smiled in response, their tongues gently touching as Laura’s hands roamed around Carmilla’s body. Laura pulled off Carmilla’s shirt which briefly broke their kiss, much to Carmilla’s dismay, but the reward was worth it to Laura. Carmilla’s chest was adorned with a black bra and her ribcage was almost visible to the naked eye. Her shoulders sloped beautifully and her stomach was soft and flat. Carmilla tensed up as Laura looked at her and Laura noticed it.

“You. Are. So. Beautiful.” She punctuated each word with a kiss to Carmilla’s torso. “And I want to kiss every inch of you.” Carmilla smiled and pulled Laura in for a kiss using both of her hands on either side of Laura’s face. She then tried to pull off Laura’s shirt, which Laura got stuck on her arms. They were laughing so hard they had to stop kissing for a moment, even once the shirt was off. Laura hung her head onto Carmilla’s chest, the laughter heaving the chest up and down and making Laura’s hair bounce.

To get Carmilla to stop laughing, Laura trailed kisses down her body, starting at her neck and tracing to her chest and lower abdomen. Carmilla shuddered at the touches and ran her fingers through Laura’s hair. Laura was attempting to confirm her earlier statement and kiss every inch of the girl below her. When Laura’s lips made it to her waistline, she felt a touch on her left cheek. She looked up to meet the espresso eyes looking to her.

“I—I’m not ready,” she said in a weak and embarrassed voice. Laura nodded and climbed up to place her head back on Carmilla’s chest. She felt lips press into the part in her hair. “Thank you,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“I’ve waited this long,” Laura joked. Carmilla was overtaken by a look of guilt until Laura laid her palm flat against her face. “And it was worth it. Waiting for you...” She paused to kiss Carmilla on the lips, firmly but without ulterior motive. “Will always be worth it.”

They fell into a similar breathing pattern and began talking about college and life. Carmilla explained that she hadn’t gone home because she didn’t want to deal with sadness and her mother. Laura talked about how her jealousy had gotten the better of her and caused her to overreact. They kissed too, briefly, since it was rather fun. But then they decided to continue talking in Laura’s living room, fully dressed, so as to not scare her father when he came home.

He arrived home around 5 and Laura immediately asked if Carmilla could stay for dinner. He agreed, as always, and Laura thought that then would be a good time to tell him about the events of the day. This opportunity was abruptly taken from her when he nonchalantly pointed out the hand holding behind the throw pillow on the couch. He grinned wide when his suspicions were confirmed and continued to cook dinner. He did later pull Laura aside, however, and tell her that sleepovers in the same room would be off limits in the future, and Laura begrudgingly obliged. He did it to be the best father he could, but she would certainly miss sleeping in Carmilla’s arms.

They had a nice dinner, with small talk of college and summer plans floating through the room. In fact, everything felt lighter to Laura that evening, and she couldn’t help but smile. At 9 PM, Mr. Hollis resigned himself to his room, telling them that there would be no “funny business” and, knowing the wrath of Ms. Morgan that awaited Carmilla, he said that she would be allowed to stay the night, so long as she slept on the couch. She thanked him graciously, as he turned down the hallway.

Laura turned to Carmilla then, a dumb smile still plastered on her face.

“Cupcake, you look like a serial killer with that grin.”

“It’s all because of you, _love_.” Carmilla rolled her eyes. It was crazy for Laura to think about, how less than 24 hours ago, she was trying to pick up strangers to win a bet and now she was sitting across from a girl she had cared about for so long. Carmilla’s eyes were dark as night, but to Laura, they were speckled with stars as they sat there. Her porcelain skin that before looked so broken and worn was positively glowing and Laura couldn’t help but feel responsible.

She knew that she couldn’t fix everything in Carmilla’s life. She would still have her mother to deal with and Laura couldn’t take that all away. But, she thought, if she could make it just a bit easier to cope with, she will have done her job. She knew that’s how Carmilla made her feel.

“ _Anyway,_ what should we do?” Laura asked, running her thumb over the back of Carmilla’s hand.

“I have one idea. It’s something that has been on my mind _all_ day,” she drawled, her voice dripped with seduction. Laura nodded, consenting. If Carmilla continued to use that voice on her, she would do just about anything. Carmilla smirked and got up. “Stay right here, I’ll be back in a moment.” She kissed Laura then walked up the stairs to Laura’s bedroom alone. She walked back down the stairs, holding something behind her back.

“Oh no no no,” Laura protested, when she saw what Carmilla was holding.

“Oh yes yes yes.”

“This is stupid.”

“Yeah, that’s why you’re doing it.”

“But come _on_ , can’t we just let it go?” She groaned and threw her head back, like a child having a temper tantrum. Carmilla just laughed at her pain.

“Nope, considering I picked up 8 girls and you barely picked up 3.”

“Not fair, this.” She gestured between them. “Doesn’t count.”

“Fine, then it’s just 7-2.”

“No no no, I definitely picked you up.”

“No way.”

“Yes way! I initiated the first kiss AND I ran after you. That has to count for something.”

“Even so, it’s still 7-3.”

“This only counts as one point?!”

“I’m not having this conversation. Just pose with the stupid stuffed animal.”

“Stop calling her stupid.” Carmilla groaned for what seemed like an eternity. “Fine, fine. I’ll do it.” She snapped a picture and wrote out exactly what Carmilla had told her to at the inception of the bet. She then posted it. “See? I did it.”

“That you did,” Carmilla said, pulling her in for a kiss.

“Aren’t you embarrassed that your girlfriend put that picture up on social media?”

“Well you aren’t _technically_ my girlfriend...” Laura looked saddened by that comment. “Not yet, at least,” Carmilla quickly corrected. Laura perked up a little. “Besides when that day comes,” she said, interlocking their fingers, “I’ll be sure to kick Miss Fluffyface—“

“That’s not her name and you know it.”

“I’ll be sure to kick _Mittens McFluff_ out of the bed so you can cuddle with me instead.”

“I don’t know. Even _if_ that day comes, I’m not sure I’ll let you. She’s a pretty good cuddler.” Carmilla swatted at her arm and huffed.

“Rude.”

“We’ll see, okay?”

Carmilla pulled them closer with the hand that was conjoined. “I promise I’ll be as good, if not better, than that lovely cat of yours,” she said sarcastically, planting a kiss on the corner of Laura’s lips.

“You better live up to that promise!”

Carmilla flopped herself down on the couch, pulling Laura gently on top of her. She rolled her eyes, but did, crawling up to Carmilla and laying face down, flush against the other girl’s body. “What do you think?”

“Not bad,” Laura pondered aloud. Carmilla huffed in response. Laura kissed her down her jaw line until a smile appeared. “Not bad at all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for there to be angst, but then there was. It could be MUCH worse, and all of you know it. If I feel particularly inspired, I might write a third chapter of fluff and smut. But don't count on it. As always, let me know what you think!


	3. Epilogue: "The Sex"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternately titled "How Many References to Chapter 1 Can I Make?"
> 
> Carmilla and Laura reflect and get some alone time.

“So this is where the magic happens?” A low drawl, thicker and rougher than honey, poured into the room. Carmilla stood in the doorway with a mostly empty duffel bag hanging from her left shoulder, her right leaning against the frame. She was dressed in a dark crop top and a pair of black jeans with rips at the knees. It took less than a second for Laura to whip around from her position at her desk at the far wall and run to the door.

“Carm!!” she cried out, latching herself to the slightly taller girl. Her excitement caused her heart rate to speed up and she felt it thundering, so she took in a deep breath. Retrospectively, it was a poor choice as it led to her breathing in Carmilla’s scent and nearly losing her ability to stand, the feeling taking over her brain. She pulled back, keeping her hands on the dark haired girl’s hips, a smile tearing into her cheeks. Carmilla had dropped the bag to properly hold Laura and still had her arms loosely crossed around Laura’s neck. Carmilla leaned in for a kiss and Laura met her halfway. They didn’t open their lips, but kissing Carmilla after weeks of not made Laura a little weak in the knees. Carmilla seemed to feel the same, a half smile playing along her lips and effectively stopping the kiss.

Carmilla took a tentative step into the room then, looking around. Laura watched her eyes dart around, as if Carmilla was attempting to memorize every last piece. “Oh cupcake, this room is so painfully you,” Carmilla muttered, as she dragged her fingertips across some trinkets resting on a shelf.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Laura huffed.

“The posters, the toys...”

“Movie memorabilia,” she corrected.

Carmilla looked back to Star Wars replica lightsaber and rolled her eyes. “Movie memorabilia...” she repeated. “The bright yellow bedspread. It is just exactly how I pictured it would be, even when you’re away from home.” Carmilla made herself comfortable on Laura’s bed, lying against the pillows.

“Is there something wrong with that?” The other girl curled into Carmilla’s side, where she was willingly taken in by Carmilla’s arm encircling her.

“Not at all,” she said, honestly. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.” This time when they kissed, it was powerful and not as sweet. Laura rolled into Carmilla, draping her left leg over Carmilla’s. She situated herself partially atop Carmilla and used her left hand to stroke her cheek and then down her torso to land on her slightly exposed hip. Laura then felt a hand grasping at the back of her neck, pulling her in closer. Carmilla opened her lips slightly and Laura pushed closer to her. She tried then to get a better angle on the girl beneath her and turned her head. Unfortunately, their noses collided, causing Laura to giggle and Carmilla to roll her eyes (Laura could soon thereafter feel a thundering in Carmilla’s chest as she, too, laughed).

“Way to kill the mood, cutie,” Carmilla said, pushing a lock of light brown hair out of her own face and the face staring down at her. Laura shrugged and the two of them laughed again, Laura kissing Carmilla’s forehead. They rolled over to face each other, each girl lying on her side. They laid in silence, Laura once again in awe of how Carmilla’s eyes twinkled even though they were so dark. Carmilla didn’t break eye contact, making Laura blush and shy away from the gaze.

“Anyway, I have so much planned for us this weekend!” Laura cheered, using her one arm to prop her head up. Carmilla groaned, rolling to lie on her back and throwing her head into the pillows.

“Do I have to?” Carmilla complained, in a whiny voice that would put a toddler to shame.

“Yes, you _have_ to,” Laura responded, putting emphasis on “have.” “What did you want to do?”

“You.” She smirked and Laura was the one to roll her eyes this time.

“Like you’ve ever been able to do that before,” Laura retorted with a fair amount of sass. The smugness quickly faded to insecurity as Carmilla looked up at Laura and drew her eyebrows together. She looked like a kicked puppy and Laura internally cursed herself. “Your lines are just terrible. They bring out something bad in me.” It was an attempt at a save herself, make a joke of the situation and Carmilla smiled a little, a silent ‘apology accepted,’ even though the nerves were still there.

“You’ve never done me either, so I’d say it’s fair.” Laura smiled at that one and the tension was alleviated from the room. Laura pushed Carmilla into the mattress to let them cuddle closely. She drew circles absentmindedly on Carmilla’s stomach, thinking back on their months together.

After getting officially together on June 2nd, the two girls had been nearly inseparable. Carmilla didn’t like being home for prolonged periods and Mr. Hollis stuck to his promise that she could stay the night whenever, so long as she slept on the couch. And she listened, most nights. But there were nights when she ended up in Laura’s bed, frequent enough for them to perfect sneaking in through the window. The first week of June, Carmilla decided to spend a night home. No one was surprised when it went terribly wrong and Carmilla was left to wander the streets at 3 AM. Laura wasn’t expecting to see her but then again Carmilla wasn’t counting on seeing Laura atop her roof and still awake at such an hour.

_“What’s going on, sweetheart?”_

_“Nothing. Couldn’t sleep.”_

_“You can always sleep. You sleep through earthquakes.”_

_“That was one time!”_

_“Sure, sure.” Carmilla paused and looked around. Laura hadn’t looked down this whole time, her eyes staring at the stars. “I’m coming up.”_

_Laura had tear tracks staining her cheeks and her eyes looked full. She sighed deeply when Carmilla climbed from the ivy and onto the roof. They sat in silence, Carmilla pulling her legs to her chest as Laura lied back and spread out across the shingles. Carmilla grabbed Laura’s hand and held it gently, rubbing her thumb across it in a calming motion._

_“Do you want to talk about it?” Laura closed her eyes and took a deep breath._

_“It’s June 7 th.” Carmilla shook her head._

_“You’re going to have to give me a little more than that.”_

_“12 years...I can’t believe it’s been that long.” Laura still didn’t turn to face Carmilla but this time she swore she could hear the gears click into place in Carmilla’s head._

_“I’m so sorry, Laura.” It was so soft and sweet that Laura almost didn’t believe it was coming from Carmilla. Almost. “The offer to talk is still on the table, if that helps. But if not, I don’t mind staying here tonight.”_

_Laura pulled Carmilla down into a hug and Carmilla kissed her cheek. It felt wet and when Carmilla looked back to face Laura, new tears had spread down her face. “Please don’t leave,” she whimpered._

_“Never.”_

They spent another hour or two on the roof and promptly climbed through the window and into bed just before sunrise. Luckily, Laura’s dad had to do a double shift that day (it was no coincidence; he always worked through the day to prevent thinking about it) and he left without saying goodbye to Laura and leaving the girls to spend time in each other’s arms. The two shared fond childhood memories with one another and ordered a way too big pizza to the house. It was still a difficult day, but Carmilla made it more tolerable.

Not every night they spent together was like that. In the middle of July, Laura convinced Carmilla to sneak out and sneak into bed with her. Carmilla scaled the side of the house and was pulled into the room by Laura, who was patiently waiting. She pushed Carmilla into her, kissing her sloppily around the mouth and down her neck.

_“We’re going to wake up your father!”_

_“Only if you don’t keep your voice down,” Laura growled. She yanked at the tank top that Carmilla was wearing and nearly ripped it trying to get it over Carmilla’s head._

_“Geez kid, what is the rush?” Carmilla tried to joke but Laura wasn’t having any of it. She grabbed at Carmilla’s shorts and tried to pull them down, getting increasingly frustrated when they weren’t moving down her legs easily. She continued to kiss Carmilla’s bare chest and leave hickeys along the pale skin. Carmilla’s underwear got stuck on her hips and when Laura tried to pull that down, Carmilla took a step back. “What the hell has gotten into you?” Carmilla nearly yelled, keeping Laura an arm’s length away._

_“What? You don’t want this?” Laura took a step forward, almost pushing Carmilla into a wall as she continued to back away._

_“No. I mean, yeah, at some point, but this doesn’t seem like you.” Laura backed up and sat on her bed, her head falling forward and a curse slipping from her lips._

_“I’m sorry, it’s just, I was just texting my friend, and he’s in a frat and he dates a lot and he said a month and a half is such a long time to not have sex and that if I didn’t go for it soon, that you would think that I didn’t like you and I didn’t want you to think that because I do like you so I was going to just go for it, you know? But now I messed it all up and you don’t think I even like you but I do and now I look desperate and you should just go and...” Laura felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She looked up for the first time of her rambling to face Carmilla’s concerned eyes._

_“Do you ever stop talking?” Laura swallowed hard and Carmilla let out a laugh in an attempt to soften the mood. She sat down next to Laura on the bed, keeping her hand on her. “First of all, your friend is an idiot.” Laura snorted and Carmilla shook her head. “No, I mean it. Sex has nothing to do with liking someone. And I know you like me. If you were worried that I didn’t know that, a quick text would probably fix the situation.” Laura smiled and looked at Carmilla, whose eyes hadn’t left Laura’s face the whole time. They made eye contact and both smiled wider. “If you want to have sex, we can have sex. But if you don’t want to, we won’t. It’s that simple.”_

_“I don’t want to,” she whispered. She was looking down now. “I just want to cuddle.”_

_“Then let’s cuddle.” They laid into the bed and Carmilla kissed Laura’s forehead. “I didn’t really want to either.” Laura playfully smacked Carmilla’s arm._

_“Same rules apply for you too! If you don’t want to have sex, we won’t.” Carmilla nodded and whispered a “thanks.” Laura kissed her neck and nuzzled into her hair._

_“I just became aware of how naked I am. Can I get my tank?”_

_“Nooo I like this,” Laura whined, trailing her fingertips across the expanse of Carmilla’s bare torso. Carmilla grabbed at the base of Laura’s shirt._

_“Fine but then this...” she tugged at the shirt for emphasis, “is coming off.” They slept in only their underwear that night, exchanging soft kisses until they both fell asleep._

By the time August rolled around, Laura had gotten busy. Between vacationing with her dad and packing up for college, she and Carmilla had minimal time together. Laura pouted about it frequently but it didn’t change the situation. Carmilla too had to pack up for school and somehow fit it all into her own car (like her mother would ever help her move in). It worked out for Carmilla, getting completely ready for junior year the night before she had to drive out there.

They spent their last night home together. Laura was pretty sure her dad heard Carmilla sneak into the house and up to her bedroom but he didn’t say anything. The girls climbed into bed and spent some time talking about college and how the fall came so fast.

_“I’m going to miss you.”_

_“Yeah, I know,” Carmilla said through a smirk. Laura turned to Carmilla and narrowed her eyes. She tried to look intimidating but Carmilla didn’t seem affected. She then decided to take matters into her own hands and climbed onto the dark haired girl and began to tickle her. “Don’t you dare! Cut it out!”_

_“Ugh, fine,” she conceded with a huff._

_“I’m going to miss you, too,” Carmilla whispered. She held Laura’s face in her hands and kissed her. It was sweet and languid and felt so right. Laura was the first to pull off an article of clothing, starting with the shirt Carmilla was wearing. They kissed and held each other close, Laura on top of Carmilla as usual. After letting Laura take gentle care of each of her breasts, Carmilla slowly pulled Laura’s shirt off, letting her hair fall through the neck hole like a cascade of delicate amber. Carmilla’s mouth hung slightly open, her lips warm and plump from kissing. Laura blushed and looked down at her chest, then back to Carmilla’s dumbfounded face._

_“What?”_

_“You’re...you’re so beautiful,” she whispered softly. She pulled Laura in for another kiss, ignoring the half disrobed state that Laura had become so conscious of. She took a breath and Carmilla put her forehead against Laura’s. They were breathing each others’ air and Carmilla closed her eyes tight. She whispered something into the darkness and held her breath._

_“What?”_

_“I love you,” she repeated, in a barely audible whimper. Her eyes stayed closed and Laura guided her chin up so she had to look at her. Laura held her face there until Carmilla opened her eyes. ‘Why did she always have to look so fragile when she said things like that?’ Laura thought to herself. Carmilla swallowed hard and looked away. Laura realized how much time had passed without saying a thing back to this girl. She felt a pang of guilt and realized her mistake._

_“I...” she squeaked into the silence, getting Carmilla to look back at her. “I love you.”_

_Carmilla smiled then and kissed her, hard. She broke the kiss as Laura leaned in for more and they bumped faces a little. “I didn’t say that so you would, you know...”_

_“Yeah, yeah, I know that,” Laura muttered, teasingly. “Obviously it wasn’t some, like, grand romantic gesture that I have to follow up with sex. And it’s not like the pressure and nerves are basically suffocating me as I try to leave a good last impression before we don’t see each other for weeks or anything.” Laura laughed, uncomfortably. She gently roughed up the hair on the back of her head, blushing harder._

_“We’re not having sex tonight.”_

_“What?”_

_“You don’t want to and that’s cool.”_

_“I do, I really do, but...”_

_“Not like this,” Carmilla finished._

_“Not like this,” Laura agreed. “I love you.”_

_“I love you too.”_

“Geez Laura, where did you go?” Laura looked up, clearly caught in her daydream. She blushed and looked at Carmilla who still had a half smirk on her face, both from the bad joke she just made and from the tension in the room.

“I was, um, thinking about us, actually,” she mumbled. Carmilla cocked her head to the side, indicating a want for Laura to continue. “And this weekend. And that if we skip going out for dinner and order Chinese, maybe we could squeeze in some time in this bed...”

“I _love_ the way you think,” Carmilla drawled, pulling Laura in for a kiss.

In all honesty, Laura didn’t know what to expect. It wasn’t long before Carmilla had deepened the kiss significantly, pulling Laura in with her mouth. Laura, though frequently stubborn and steadfast, was very weak to resist Carmilla and was soon straddling her on the bed. She felt Carmilla part her lips slightly and Laura followed, their tongues touching gingerly. Soon Carmilla’s hand was tracing up Laura’s back, gently pulling her shirt up as she tried to run her fingers along her shoulder blades. She was so soft and sweet that Laura began to melt into her touches.

She pulled away from the kiss, briefly, ignoring Carmilla’s groans, as she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. She sat there, legs folded back to put the most pressure on her knees and her thighs resting on Carmilla’s thighs, and smiled. Carmilla smiled too, looking up at her.

“You are so beautiful.” Carmilla grabbed Laura’s cheeks and kissed her again and again, ignoring the mostly naked torso of her girlfriend. Laura pushed up the bottom of Carmilla’s shirt and splayed her hands across the dark haired girl’s stomach. She kissed down Carmilla’s neck, never staying too long at one place, holding her hands on Carmilla’s stomach and then her hips. She pulled away again, this time running her hands from the front of her girlfriend to her back, helping her sit up. Carmilla looked up into her eyes, a look of slight confusion on her face. Laura moved her hands to the t-shirt and pulled it over Carmilla’s head. She also used both hands to unhook the black lace bra adorning the pale chest before her, not wanting anything else between them. Both items fell to the floor as Laura lowered Carmilla back down onto the pillows.

Carmilla reached up and unhooked the bra Laura still had on with one hand, while the other ghosted over her cheekbones. “It’s only fair,” she muttered, as she let the bra fall from her hand. Laura felt her cheeks heat up under Carmilla’s thumb as she leaned in to kiss her again. This time, the kiss was short and Laura made quick work of the kisses down Carmilla’s neck. Soon she landed on her collarbones, kissing them with fervor, from the outside in on each one. When she landed at the center of Carmilla’s chest plate for the second time, she began to kiss down the girl’s chest. Carmilla let out a soft moan as she reached out for anything Laura. She knotted her fingers in Laura’s hair as Laura kissed her left breast. She let her tongue draw lazy circles around the nipple before taking it into a kiss. She did the same to the right breast, keeping her one hand on the former, her other hand on the side of Carmilla’s stomach.

She began to kiss further down, reverently plastering kisses to Carmilla’s stomach. Carmilla’s muscles tensed as she left an open-mouthed kiss above her belly button, both a reflex from her ticklish side and from her being immensely turned on, something Laura had learned over the summer. She then kissed below the belly button, her chin resting on the button of Carmilla’s dark jeans. She froze for a second, as did Carmilla, and she could feel the thundering of her heart in her ears. She looked up at Carmilla, who was looking down at her, hand still intertwined in her caramel locks.

“May I?” Laura asked gently.

“Do you want to?” Carmilla replied, barely above a whisper.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?” Laura asked again, the cold button between her two fingers.

Carmilla closed her eyes for a second and when she reopened them, she was nodding, whispering “yes” a million times over. Laura unbuttoned the pants and pulled down the zipper and started pulling the pants down Carmilla’s soft legs.

But the pants, they got stuck. Carmilla wore them so tight that they barely made it past her thighs without folding over on themselves and bunching up. Carmilla had to hoist her hips into the air just to get Laura a decent angle, but her lack of strength had her falling back into the bed clumsily. When they got below Carmilla’s knees, Laura tried pulling them straight off her legs but instead, nearly got herself kicked square in the face by momentum. Carmilla was cracking up at this point, not aiding from her position atop the mattress.

By the time the pants were off, Laura flopped down next to Carmilla, lying next to her face. “Fanfiction lied,” she mumbled angrily. “There is nothing romantic and sexual about _that_.” She glared at the denim pile on the floor. Carmilla laughed again, kissing her forehead.

“Do you want to just take your jeans off now? Save us the embarrassment later when I have to do that?” Laura stood up from the bed and took off her pants the old fashioned way before climbing back into bed, both girls lying side by side in only their underwear. “Much better,” Carmilla smirked and kissed Laura.

Soon enough, the embarrassment had passed and Laura was back on top of Carmilla. They were holding each other and kissing, the go ahead from before looming over them. Laura was nervous to say the least, but she knew Carmilla. Hell, she _loved_ Carmilla. For better or for worse, they were doing this together. She kissed her deeply as she talked herself into making a move. She slid her hand from Carmilla’s hip over her stomach and down below the band of her underwear. It was different for them and she tensed up in her hand a tad. Carmilla continued to kiss and hold her with force, encouraging her without words. Laura took a deep breath. She could do this.

She circled the clit with the tip of her index finger and waited for Carmilla’s response. A moan, which was good, she thought to herself. She continued that for a brief amount of time, until the moans died down and she realized she had to do something else. Something quick. She groped at Carmilla’s breast and began to kiss down her neck. Carmilla sounded out of breath, which turned Laura on as she continued. Without moving her lips from the porcelain skin, she slipped her finger from the clit to inside of Carmilla. She tested the waters with one finger, gently pumping as she heard moans. Carmilla grabbed her hair and she felt her moving against Laura’s finger. She then decided to step it up a little more, as her middle finger joined her pointer finger. They pumped in and out of the girl and then Laura began to kiss lower down Carmilla’s chest. Carmilla’s eyes were glued shut and her hands were grasping at Laura, so she started a gentle forward stroke again Carmilla’s front wall. But then her hips jolted upwards and she let out a strangled whimper and...

“OH MY GOD, I hurt you, I’m so sorry!” Laura jumped up from her position, jerking her wrist up and roughly pulling away from Carmilla and she was holding her whole body above her Carmilla, her face a few inches below Carmilla’s. Carmilla cursed, out loud and Laura started feeling ashamed and began cursing herself because she just _knew_ that she would ruin this whole thing. “What hurt you?”

“Well, stopping hurt quite a bit. But mostly pulling your fingers out at that angle, damn Laura,” Carmilla muttered with a smirk. Her pupils were huge, which was usually hard to tell with her pitch black eyes, but Laura could see them and her cheeks were bright red too, as was most of her neck. She looked like she was glistening a little, but Laura guessed that was from sweating.

“Wait, stopping hurt you?” Carmilla nodded and smiled nervously. “Not my hand...doing that?”

“Oh god no.”

“Then what was with the shuddering and pained noises and....oh, _oh_.” A wave of realization washed over Laura as the pieces came together in her head. She made a huge fool of herself in front of her insanely hot girlfriend. Her insanely hot girlfriend who she was _fucking_ , might she add. “Can we just start over?”

“I’m not putting my clothes back on, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Oh god no,” Laura joked. She smiled and so did Carmilla and soon Laura was back to kissing her neck and pumping her two digits in and out of her insanely hot girlfriend. She kissed lower and lower, leaving a trail of kisses where they were before, down Carmilla’s entire torso. She pulled down Carmilla’s underwear, the only thing between the two of them and shifted Carmilla’s legs apart so she could better fit between them. She kissed the insides of her thighs and the place above her clit and then let her mouth find the clit.

It was a weird feeling, if Laura was being perfectly honest. But there was something that just felt so right in that moment. She kept her fingers pumping in Carmilla and began to dance her tongue in soft circles against the clit. She felt Carmilla quiver and heard her moans echo around the room. She hummed in contentment as Carmilla got more and more into it. She felt Carmilla get tight, around her fingers and in general and she almost stopped, until she heard her let out a sigh and relax entirely into the bed. Laura took that to mean that she came but asked. A resounding yes and repeated nods confirmed that notion. Laura gently removed her fingers and took them into her mouth. They tasted like sweat and something slightly bitter, but she didn’t mind. It was lovely. It was Carmilla.

She saw her girlfriend still laying there, a hazy look across her face, with sweat beading above her eyebrows. Her breathing was heavy but evening out. Laura wasn’t sure there was anything more beautiful than that right there. She moved from her position at the bottom of the bed and came to lie down next to Carmilla, resting her head into the softness of Carmilla’s chest.

“Excuse me,” Carmilla said, breaking the peaceful silence of the room. “But who said we were done?” That was big talk, coming from the girl who just orgasmed from a different person for the first time in her life. And Laura was about to tell her such, when Carmilla pulled at Laura’s underwear. “These are coming off,” she commanded, looking up at Laura with a devilish grin. Laura pulled them down her legs, continuing to lie on her side next to Carmilla. “And you...” She grabbed Laura’s leg and draped it over herself. “...are coming...” She pulled Laura by the backs of her thighs up to her face. “...Right. Here.” She breathed onto Laura’s clit as Laura hovered over her face. Carmilla’s hands were holding the other girl’s thighs in place as Laura nearly sat on her face. “Come on,” Carmilla groaned. She pulled Laura closer. “I’m not craning my neck for this shit.” Correction, Laura was sitting on her face.

She was nervous. Was she going to hurt Carmilla’s face sitting on it like this? Is this really the most efficient way of doing this? Isn’t there...“Oh, _god_ ,” Laura moaned aloud. “That feels, oh...” She was gasping for breath as Carmilla began doing _something_ with her tongue against Laura’s core. She was holding Laura by her thighs, bringing her down and thrusting her into her face. She later moved her hands to Laura’s bare ass and Laura hated to admit how good that felt. The whole experience felt good, and not uncomfortable or confusing or bad. Just, insanely good.

She felt herself come after some time of Carmilla making great use of her tongue. She felt a thousand explosions against her eyelids and then felt tired as she fell from her position and slumped into the wall. Carmilla noticed and helped to move her girlfriend on top of herself. They lay like that, naked and tired, in the silence of the room for a little while.

“God, I love you,” Laura muttered into Carmilla’s neck.

“Well, my name’s not ‘God,’” Carmilla teased. “But after today, I could see how you could see me as such.” Laura shushed her as she gently smacked her upper arm. Carmilla laughed and kissed Laura’s head again. She put her cheek against the top of Laura’s head and let out a sigh. The two were so quiet and peaceful that Laura knew she could stay there forever, tucked into Carmilla’s side, their legs intertwined. She hoped Carmilla felt the same.

“Thank you,” Laura whispered.

“For what?”

“For being open with me,” Laura sighed. “For letting me see you, all the parts of you. The ones you love, the ones you hate. The ones I love.” Laura stopped and Carmilla grinned at the cheesy sentiment. “Because there aren’t parts of you that I don’t love. But thank you, for letting me be the one to love you and see you and be with you, all of you.” She kissed Carmilla’s cheek then pressed her face further into the crook of her neck. She really was beautiful, Laura thought to herself, for the millionth time. She held her arm across Carmilla’s stomach and drew lazy circles with her fingers. It felt so good. It felt like the safest place she could ever be.

“Thank you, too, you know.” Laura perked up, looking at her with a question across her expressions. “For always being there. When I was drunk, when I was alone, when I was mean. You know. Always.” She shrugged and it made Laura’s head bounce around a little. “Everything is a little easier with you around.” Carmilla was so bad with words for a girl who decided to spend her entire undergraduate experience writing papers. (Laura didn’t mind). She felt a kiss land on her crown once again.

It was Carmilla who broke the silence this time, or rather her stomach, which let out a growl that launched Laura into a fit of giggles. “So about that Chinese?” Carmilla suggested to her girlfriend.

“I am way ahead of you,” Laura said, grabbing a takeout menu from her bedside table. “All you had to do was ask.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is OFFICIALLY the end. Thank you to those of you who have been along for the ride and thank you to those of you who might have just read it for the first time. To think this all came from a little prompt is crazy to me.
> 
> For the record, the title of this chapter references chapter 1 where Carmilla is like "Yeah, people who call it 'the sex' are SOOOO getting laid" and it fits with the chapters being "The __."
> 
> If you have comments/questions/concerns, post below.
> 
> If you want me to write other things, hit me up! I am all about one-shots and, I guess in this case, one-shots that become 15,000 word three-shots.
> 
> Also, check me out on tumblr, if you want: transgressivegeekspiral.tumblr.com  
> I don't talk about fanfic there a lot, but I am a part of a bunch of fandoms and sometimes I can be funny and/or cute, so there's that!
> 
> Thank you all again, you're lovely<3


End file.
